Juan Soto shares Mets legend's advice that helped turn his season around

Juan Soto had his first New York Mets season saved by one of the franchise's most iconic players.

Aug 17, 2025; Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (22) reacts after being walked against the Seattle Mariners in the third inning at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Given that New York Mets slugger Juan Soto produced one of the best seasons of his career in 2025, it's easy to forget that he came out of the gates very slowly to begin his Mets tenure.

At the end of the Mets' 9-4 loss to the Chicago White Sox on May 28, where he went 0 for 4 at the plate, Soto was in the midst of a 0 for 16 slump. He hadn't hit a home run in about three weeks, he was batting .130 (6 for 46) with a homer and 16 RBIs with runners in scoring position in 2025, and his overall offensive stats were a mediocre .224 with 8 home runs and 25 RBIs in 55 games.

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These aren't good numbers for any major leaguer. But given that this was how Soto started his Mets career after signing a 15-year, $765 million contract with the club in free agency that offseason (the biggest contract in sports history), the pressure was on him to turn things around.

And he did. Soto's final season stats were .263 with a .921 OPS, 43 home runs, 105 RBIs, and 38 stolen bases. He finished third in 2025 NL MVP Award voting, and if he'd started the season stronger, he might have been able to take that award away from Shohei Ohtani.

Sep 13, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto (22) hits a solo home run in the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

How Carlos Beltran Helped Juan Soto Reset During Early 2025 Struggles

Soto did an interview with Katherine Hernandez that was posted on her YouTube channel on December 29. At one point in their discussion, Soto noted how Mets legend turned front office executive Carlos Beltrán helped him right the ship earlier this season.

“[Beltrán] shared that the exact same thing happened to him once when he was really struggling in New York. Everyone was piling on and the pressure was intense. To get through it, he started carrying a card with all his key stats written on it. Every time he looked at it, he reminded himself, 'This is who I am as a player, not the version everyone else is trying to paint.' That simple mental reset helped him break out of the slump," Soto said in translated Spanish, per an X post from @Masterflip_.

"Looking back, I’d say that was the last piece of advice that truly made a difference for me," Soto added.

Juan Soto on how Carlos Beltrán helped him during his struggles;

“He shared that the exact same thing happened to him once when he was really struggling in New York. Everyone was piling on and the pressure was intense. To get through it, he started carrying a card with all his… pic.twitter.com/7rfjSBG0fW

— Master Flip 🇩🇴 (@Masterflip_) December 30, 2025

Carlos Beltrán already made a massive impact on the Mets' franchise during his seven seasons there as a player. And this sentiment from Soto shares that Beltrán's impact is still being felt.

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